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Green Goblin
Who is the Green Goblin? Ruthless industrialist Norman Osborn was the co-owner of a leading New York firm, Osborn Industries, which specialized in chemical manufacturing via Osborn Chemicals, as well as other areas of research and development, including robotics. His wife Emily died within a year after the birth of their son Harry leaving Norman embittered. The product of an oppressively stern upbringing by an alcoholic father who lost the family fortune, Norman raised Harry dispassionately, often devoid of fatherly warmth, being chafed by Harry's failure to demonstrate academic excellence or a competitive drive. Despite living in reacquired opulence, Harry felt depressed and neglected by his father. Unbeknownst to Harry, Norman had risen in power by participating in a collusion enabling the creation of powerful opponents to challenge the super-hero community, thereby offering corrupt corporations a means to distract the heroes from probing into their affairs. One failure in this regard involved using Osborn Industries employee Nels Van Adder as a human test subject, transforming him into the disfigured "Protogoblin." Osborn dodged accusations of wrongdoing from his head of security, Arthur Stacy, and his brother Detective George Stacy. He discovered the notes of his business partner, Professor Mendrel Stromm for a strength-enhancing serum. Stromm was jailed after Norman had him arrested for embezzling funds, allowing Osborn to gain full control of the firm. Osborn tested the serum upon himself in his private lab, but the unstable concoction exploded in his face leaving him hospitalized for weeks. He emerged smarter and superhumanly strong, but at the cost of his sanity. Lusting for more power, Osborn plotted to organize a world-wide crime syndicate, targeting Spider-Man as a means to establish his reputation. He designed a grotesque green costume based on an image from a childhood nightmare and the color of Stromm’s serum, and armed himself with high-tech weaponry and a glider. He attacked Spider-Man on numerous occasions, even sending Kraven the Hunter after him. Afterwards, he decided to lay low. Unaware of the Goblin's secret identity, Spider-Man protected an ungrateful Norman Osborn from the vengeance of Professor Stromm, released from prison. Devising a compound that weakened Spider-Man's spider-sense enabled Norman, aloft an improved glider, to follow Spider-Man and witness him resume his civilian identity as Peter Parker, one of Harry's classmates. The Goblin confronted Spider-Man at his home in Forest Hills, captured him, and carried him to the Goblin's waterfront hideout at Osborn Chemicals. There the Goblin boastfully revealed to Spider-Man of his own secret identity and how he came to be. Spider-Man broke free, and in the ensuing battle, the Goblin fell back into live wires and vials of chemicals, leaving Osborn unconscious and amnesiac regarding his past few years and his criminal alter-ego. Spider-Man decided Osborn was rendered an innocent man, and burned his costume before police and firefighters arrived on the scene. The world believed the Green Goblin had perished. Subsequently, Osborn’s insane mind developed a dual-personality disorder, as traumatic events triggered a switch between being a memory-impaired kinder Norman Osborn, concerned about his relationship with his son, and the nefarious Green Goblin, aware of Spider-Man's secret identity. Spider-Man's Darkest Hour After Harry invited Peter Parker to live with him, Norman met Peter again, unaware of his dual identity. Released from prison and seeking his payment for services to the Goblin, Kraven sought Osborn after learning of the Goblin's apparent death and believing him to be the Goblin's "emissary". Kraven abandoned his violent pursuit and capture of Osborn after realizing Osborn was truly unaware of the Goblin; Spider-Man had to rescue a bound Osborn from plummeting to his death. In a strike against both Gwen Stacy and Spider-Man, the Green Goblin kidnapped Gwen and took her to the top of the Brooklyn Bridge. In an act of brutality during a melee with Spider-Man, the Goblin threw Gwen from the bridge. Spider-Man attempted to save her but she had already died during the fall. Filled with rage, Spider-Man savagely attacked the Goblin, nearly killing him. He returned to his senses at the last minute however, while the Goblin took the opportunity to attempt one final play by remotely controlling his damaged goblin glider to impale the wall crawler. Spider-Man was able to dodge the glider which instead impaled the Goblin, seemingly killing him. The nightmare was over...or at least that's what Peter thought. Ultimate Green Goblin Working with scientists such as Otto Octavius, Norman began testing Oz on animals. Disaster seemed to strike when a spider exposed to the compound escaped and bit visiting student Peter, a friend of Norman’s son Harry. Fearing exposure of his illegal research should Peter die from the effects of the bite, Osborn had his hired gun Shaw observe the boy, and was prepared to have him murdered; but instead of becoming ill, Peter developed arachnid-like super-powers. Believing he had stumbled upon exactly what he needed to save his company, Norman decided to test direct application of the Oz Compound on a human guinea pig – himself. Doctor Octavius supervised this process, but something went horribly wrong; an explosion destroyed the lab, killing most of those present. Octavius and bystander Harry both survived, though both were changed as a result; but the most obvious and immediate effect was on Norman, who was transformed into a gargoyle-like strongman. The monstrous, mentally muddled Norman wandered the streets in a haze before destroying his own mansion home in a fireball that killed his wife; Harry barely escaped. Norman next attacked Harry’s school, hunting for Peter, who had adopted the costumed persona of Spider-Man. As Spider-Man, Parker tried to subdue the monster, their fight carrying them towards the city and climaxing atop a bridge, where police marksmen riddled Norman with gunfire. Badly injured, Norman lunged at Spider-Man, missed, and plunged into the waters below, apparently drowning. Informing the police that the goblin was his mutated father, a distraught Harry was taken away for questioning and his own protection. The Goblin came back several times and finally during a horrible battle with the Hobgoblin, who is his son, Harry Osborn, both of them were killed. Harry at the hands of his own father, and Norman at the hands of himself. Category:Villains Category:Dark Avengers